This invention relates to apparatus for alleviating pain in a patient.
A pain treatment procedure commonly known as Transcutaneous-Electrical-Nerve-Stimulation (TENS) has been used on and off for about 20 years with limited short term pain relief. Physiotherapists are the largest users as the devices tend to provide short term pain relief (1-4 hours) allowing the therapist to provide other physical therapy.
TENS therapy has been thought to over stimulate the nerve receptors, thus fatiguing them and blocking transmission of pain impulses.
In Europe (primarily Germany and U.S.S.R.), a slowly pulsing strong magnetic field had been used to treat pain and swelling of arthritis. Recent work in North America has shown that a similar magnetic field promoted healing of bone breaks. Also a small trickle of electrical current across the break was found to produce enhanced healing.